The Regime Introduces Visa-Free Entry for European Countries, While the EU Strengthens the Iron Curtain for Belarusians

New EU sanctions, while increasing sectoral economic restrictions against the regime, also hit ordinary Belarusians. The ban on crossing the border in cars with Belarusian license plates sharply reduces people’s mobility. The flow of luxury cars from Europe to Russia through Belarus does not stop but only grows. In contrast to these restrictions, Lukashenka introduces a new temporary visa-free regime for 35 European countries. This “gesture of goodwill” is intended to shift the focus from failing to meet Poland and China’s demands to stop migration pressure at the border.

The recently adopted new EU sanctions package against Belarus includes a regulation that prohibits the import of cars from Belarus into the EU. Poland, following the instructions, allows cars with Belarusian registration to cross the border only if the owner is present. Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia have banned the entry of vehicles with Belarusian license plates.

In this regard, the leader of the democratic forces, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, called on the leadership of Poland and the Baltic countries to solve the problem of closing borders for Belarusian cars, including by easing restrictions. However, negotiations have not yet yielded results.

Meanwhile, despite the sanctions, luxury cars continue to be imported into Russia through Belarus. In July, for example, 16 carriages with luxury cars were transported. Among them were Lamborghini Urus S, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Porsche, Ferrari, Bentley Motors, and Rolls-Royce. The total value of the cars is estimated at over USD 18 million.

The main route for these transports is: Griva (Latvia) – Orsha-Zapadnaya (Belarus). The sender and forwarder on the Latvian railway is ALPIK CARGO. The main recipient is the company SZAO “Energo-Oil,” which is associated with Belarusian businessman Aleksin, close to Lukashenka. Other logistics options are also being worked out, such as through Kazakhstan.

The situation is formally explained by the fact that new sanctions prohibit importing cars into Belarus with a ground clearance (the distance from the car’s bottom to the road) of 165 mm or more and an engine capacity of more than 1.9 liters. The EU countries did not agree on a ban on importing luxury cars into Belarus. However, the new restrictions do not apply to transactions carried out until October 2, 2024 (if they were concluded before July 1, 2024), or additional transactions necessary for the implementation of those mentioned above.

In response to the de facto export embargo on a wide range of goods to Belarus, the regime introduced a temporary visa-free regime for citizens of 35 European countries from July 19 to December 31, 2024. Visa-free entry, exit, and stay in the country are allowed through all road and rail checkpoints, and the existing entry regime through land checkpoints for citizens of Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and other countries remains. Officially, the step was taken “to further demonstrate our country’s openness and peace-loving nature, adherence to the principles of good neighborliness, as well as to simplify interpersonal contacts and improve freedom of movement.”

However, the initiative can be seen as an asymmetric response to Poland and China’s demands to stop migration pressure on the Belarusian-Polish border. The new Belarusian Foreign Minister Maksim Ryzhankou has already stated that Warsaw will not be able to blackmail Minsk by blocking cargo traffic across the border. He called the claims unfounded and accused Poland of acting against the interests of the European Union, and urged Warsaw to engage in respectful dialogue. According to him, Belarus will not make concessions under the pressure of ultimatums and will defend its interests. Therefore, Minsk expects that Warsaw will eventually be forced to cooperate since it cannot long blackmail by blocking cargo flows that affect the interests of the entire EU, China, and Poland’s economic interests.

Thus, Minsk is trying to shift responsibility for the situation at the border onto Poland’s reluctance to engage in dialogue. The regime attempts to replace fulfilling Warsaw’s demands with a “gesture of goodwill” in the form of another visa-free regime and plans an extensive briefing in the fall with the participation of law enforcement agencies and international organizations on this issue.